1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus which includes an image recording section having a transporting path starting from a tray on which a recording paper is kept (placed) and reaching up to a discharging section, and which performs recording of an image; and an image recording section which is provided above the image recording section, and which performs reading of an image on a document.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image-forming apparatuses, in which a printer section which performs recording of an image on a recording paper, and a scanner section which performs reading an image on a document are integrated, are hitherto known. Many of such image-forming apparatuses have a construction in which a scanner section which is used as a flat-bed scanner is arranged above the printer section so as to make it easy to perform an operation for opening and closing a scanner cover, and to make it easy to place the document. Further, some of these image-forming apparatuses has a construction in which, in the printer section, a paper feeding tray and a paper discharging tray are provided on a front-surface side of the apparatus, and the recording paper is transported from the paper feeding tray via a U-turn path leading to the paper discharging tray, in order to enable loading and taking out (discharging) of a recording paper from a front side of the apparatus. Furthermore, some of conventional image-forming apparatuses are provided with a manual-feeding tray for performing image recording (formation) by using a recording paper of which size or type is different from that of the recording paper placed in the paper feeding tray (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-305584).
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional image-forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 7, in an image-forming apparatus 90, a printer section 91 is arranged on a lower side of the image-forming apparatus 90, and a scanner section 92 is arranged above (on an upper side of) the printer section 91. In the printer section 91, a transporting path 95 having a horizontal U-shape is formed from a paper feeding tray 93 to a paper discharging tray 94. In this printer section 91, a recording paper P placed in the paper feeding tray 93 is transported in the transporting path 95 while being turned over upwardly, and image recording is performed by a recording head 96. On the other hand, in the scanner section 92, an image scanner 99 is provided in a document placing and reading platform 98 such that the image scanner 99 is reciprocally movable. A platen glass 97 is arranged on the upper surface of the document placing and reading platform 98. Further, a scanner cover 100 is provided to be openable and closable on the upper side of the document placing and reading platform 98 such that the scanner cover 100 covers the platen glass 97. In this scanner section 92, reading of an image on a document (original), which is placed on the platen glass 97, is performed by scanning the image scanner 99 with respect to the document.
On a rear-surface side of the image-forming apparatus 90, a manual feeding tray 101 tilting in an obliquely upward direction is provided. The manual feeding tray 101 holds a lower side of the recording paper and supports the recording paper such that the recording paper is inclined at a predetermined angle. Further, a paper feeding roller 102 is provided facing the manual feeding tray 101, and by the rotation of the paper feeding roller 102, the recording paper on the manual feeding tray 101 is fed. Furthermore, on the rear-surface side (rear side) of the image-forming apparatus 90, an auxiliary transporting path 103 starting from the manual feeding tray 101 and leading to an upstream side of the recording head 96 in the transporting path 95 is formed. The recording paper fed from the manual feeding tray 101 is guided to the upstream side of the recording head 96 via the auxiliary transporting path 103. Further, the image is recorded on the recording paper by the recording head 96, and the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharging tray 94.